Paul forges ahead with weekend victories

Updated 10:00 pm, Monday, May 7, 2012

U.S. Rep. Ron Paul speaks at The Tea Party Express rally at the Capitol in Austin on Sunday.

U.S. Rep. Ron Paul speaks at The Tea Party Express rally at the Capitol in Austin on Sunday.

Photo: Jay Janner

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Jordan Malone, 11, cheers for U.S. Rep Ron Paul at The Tea Party Express rally at the Capitol in Austin on Sunday. Thousands attended and heard speeches by Paul and U.S. Senate candidate Ted Cruz.

Jordan Malone, 11, cheers for U.S. Rep Ron Paul at The Tea Party Express rally at the Capitol in Austin on Sunday. Thousands attended and heard speeches by Paul and U.S. Senate candidate Ted Cruz.

Photo: Jay Janner

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U.S. Rep. Ron Paul speaks at The Tea Party Express rally at the Capitol in Austin, Texas, on Sunday May 6, 2012. Thousands attended the event, which included speeches by Paul and U.S. Senate candidate Ted Cruz. (AP Photo/Austin American-Statesman, Jay Janner) MAGS OUT; NO SALES; INTERNET AND TV MUST CREDIT PHOTOGRAPHER AND STATESMAN.COM

U.S. Rep. Ron Paul speaks at The Tea Party Express rally at the Capitol in Austin, Texas, on Sunday May 6, 2012. Thousands attended the event, which included speeches by Paul and U.S. Senate candidate Ted

U.S. Rep. Ron Paul speaks at The Tea Party Express rally at the Capitol in Austin, Texas, on Sunday May 6, 2012. Thousands attended the event, which included speeches by Paul and U.S. Senate candidate Ted Cruz. (AP Photo/Austin American-Statesman, Jay Janner) MAGS OUT; NO SALES; INTERNET AND TV MUST CREDIT PHOTOGRAPHER AND STATESMAN.COM

U.S. Rep. Ron Paul speaks at The Tea Party Express rally at the Capitol in Austin, Texas, on Sunday May 6, 2012. Thousands attended the event, which included speeches by Paul and U.S. Senate candidate Ted

U.S. Rep. Ron Paul speaks at The Tea Party Express rally at the Capitol in Austin, Texas, on Sunday May 6, 2012. Thousands attended the event, which included speeches by Paul and U.S. Senate candidate Ted Cruz. (AP Photo/Austin American-Statesman, Jay Janner) MAGS OUT; NO SALES; INTERNET AND TV MUST CREDIT PHOTOGRAPHER AND STATESMAN.COM

U.S. Rep. Ron Paul speaks at The Tea Party Express rally at the Capitol in Austin, Texas, on Sunday May 6, 2012. Thousands attended the event, which included speeches by Paul and U.S. Senate candidate Ted

U.S. Rep. Ron Paul speaks at The Tea Party Express rally at the Capitol in Austin, Texas, on Sunday May 6, 2012. Thousands attended the event, which included speeches by Paul and U.S. Senate candidate Ted Cruz. (AP Photo/Austin American-Statesman, Jay Janner) MAGS OUT; NO SALES; INTERNET AND TV MUST CREDIT PHOTOGRAPHER AND STATESMAN.COM

U.S. Rep. Ron Paul speaks at The Tea Party Express rally at the Capitol in Austin, Texas, on Sunday May 6, 2012. Thousands attended the event, which included speeches by Paul and U.S. Senate candidate Ted

Sydney Walker, 4, holds a picture of Republican presidential candidate Ron Paul before he spoke at a rally on Tuesday, March 6, 2012 in Nampa, Idaho. (Katherine Jones / The Associated Press)

Sydney Walker, 4, holds a picture of Republican presidential candidate Ron Paul before he spoke at a rally on Tuesday, March 6, 2012 in Nampa, Idaho. (Katherine Jones / The Associated Press)

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Members of the Peik family Kristen, 20; Katie, 18; Stephen, 13; Teresa and twin brother Alex, 10, listen to Ron Paul address a group of home-school supporters at the Lawrence Barn on the day before the state primary January 9, 2012 in Hollis, N.H. (Chip Somodevilla / Getty Images) less

Members of the Peik family Kristen, 20; Katie, 18; Stephen, 13; Teresa and twin brother Alex, 10, listen to Ron Paul address a group of home-school supporters at the Lawrence Barn on the day before the state ... more

Ron Paul poses for a photo with supporter David Larsen and his step-son Zac, during a Washington state caucus meeting, Saturday, March, 3, 2012, in Puyallup, Wash. (Ted S. Warren / The Associated Press)

Ron Paul poses for a photo with supporter David Larsen and his step-son Zac, during a Washington state caucus meeting, Saturday, March, 3, 2012, in Puyallup, Wash. (Ted S. Warren / The Associated Press)

Texas Congressman Ron Paul poses with supporters after his "Salute to Veterans" rally at the Iowa State Fairgrounds in Des Moines, Iowa on Wednesday, Dec. 28, 2011. (Lisa Krantz / San Antonio Express-News) less

Texas Congressman Ron Paul poses with supporters after his "Salute to Veterans" rally at the Iowa State Fairgrounds in Des Moines, Iowa on Wednesday, Dec. 28, 2011. (Lisa Krantz / San Antonio ... more

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Justin Harvey and his wife, Tanis, listen to Republican presidential candidate Ron Paul as their niece Charity, 5, naps during a rally Sunday, March 4, 2012, in Fairbanks, Alaska. (Sam Harrel / The Associated Press) less

Justin Harvey and his wife, Tanis, listen to Republican presidential candidate Ron Paul as their niece Charity, 5, naps during a rally Sunday, March 4, 2012, in Fairbanks, Alaska. (Sam Harrel / The Associated ... more

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GOP presidential candidate Ron Paul signs a copy of his book after speaking to supporters at a rally in Main Plaza.
(Robin Jerstad / For The Express-News)

GOP presidential candidate Ron Paul signs a copy of his book after speaking to supporters at a rally in Main Plaza.
(Robin Jerstad / For The Express-News)

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GOP presidential candidate Ron Paul leaves the stage after speaking to supporters at a rally in Main Plaza on Thursday, April 12, 2012.
(Robin Jerstad / For The Express-News)

GOP presidential candidate Ron Paul leaves the stage after speaking to supporters at a rally in Main Plaza on Thursday, April 12, 2012.
(Robin Jerstad / For The Express-News)

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GOP presidential candidate Ron Paul speaks during a town hall meeting at Main Plaza on Thursday, April 12, 2012. (Robin Jerstad / For The Express-News)

GOP presidential candidate Ron Paul speaks during a town hall meeting at Main Plaza on Thursday, April 12, 2012. (Robin Jerstad / For The Express-News)

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A man shows his support for Ron Paul as the GOP presidential hopeful speaks Thursday evening, April 12, 2012, at Main Plaza.
(Robin Jerstad / For The Express-News)

A man shows his support for Ron Paul as the GOP presidential hopeful speaks Thursday evening, April 12, 2012, at Main Plaza.
(Robin Jerstad / For The Express-News)

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GOP presidential candidate Ron Paul speaks to supporters at a rally in Main Plaza on Thursday, April 12, 2012.
(Robin Jerstad / For The Express-News)

GOP presidential candidate Ron Paul speaks to supporters at a rally in Main Plaza on Thursday, April 12, 2012.
(Robin Jerstad / For The Express-News)

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GOP presidential candidate Ron Paul speaks to supporters at a rally in Main Plaza on Thursday, April 12, 2012. (Robin Jerstad / For The Express-News)

GOP presidential candidate Ron Paul speaks to supporters at a rally in Main Plaza on Thursday, April 12, 2012. (Robin Jerstad / For The Express-News)

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GOP presidential candidate Ron Paul waves to supporters at a rally in Main Plaza on Thursday, April 12, 2012.
(Robin Jerstad / For The Express-News)

GOP presidential candidate Ron Paul waves to supporters at a rally in Main Plaza on Thursday, April 12, 2012.
(Robin Jerstad / For The Express-News)

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Paul forges ahead with weekend victories

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WASHINGTON - If the Republican primary race is over, nobody has bothered to tell Ron Paul.

Even as the national media has declared Mitt Romney the inevitable GOP presidential nominee to take on President Barack Obama, the Texas congressman with the highly organized army of never-say-die loyalists surprised the Republican front-runner by sweeping three state conventions in the past weekend.

Paul's successes in Iowa, Maine and Nevada are helping him - slowly but surely - pile up delegates to the Republican National Convention in Tampa. Even if the libertarian from Lake Jackson is unable to secure the nomination - which still seems to be a safe bet - he is making it harder for party regulars to deny him a voice on the convention floor and the party's 2012 platform.

For Romney, the reverses in three key states in three different regions of the country are a sign of some organizational weakness and inattention to detail for a campaign preparing for a showdown with the most effective multiplatform political machine of the Internet age.

"These events do not reflect well on the Romney campaign," said Mark P. Jones, chairman of the political science department at Rice University. "I suspect they reflect a certain amount of indifference toward these processes, since they have the nomination locked up, a limited ground game, and a notable lack of enthusiasm for the Romney candidacy, even among his supporters."

856 vs. 84 delegates

If Romney's organizational skills remain in doubt, his nomination is not. He has 856 of the 1,144 delegates required to win his party's nomination, compared to 84 for Paul, the last challenger to remain in the contest.

The 76-year-old Texan has repeated for three months that he is continuing a strategy to accumulate as many delegates as possible to give voice to the issues of liberty and non-interventionism that motivate his self-styled libertarian revolution.

"Beltway insiders might dismiss it, some in the media may choose to overlook it, and establishment party hacks will at times cheat, but nothing can stop the Ron Paul-influenced reawakening of the conservative movement in America," said Jesse Benton, Paul's national campaign chairman.

Paul allies believe that he can win a role in shaping the party platform on issues such as government spending, monetary policy and the role of the Federal Reserve system if he controls several delegations in Tampa.

Analysts say Paul moved closer to realizing those goals with the trio of weekend triumphs.

In Maine, where Romney narrowly won the non-binding caucus vote in February, Paul swept to victory for the 15 at-large national convention delegates at stake.

In Iowa, Paul, who finished a close third in the Jan. 3 precinct caucuses, trounced Romney as the process reached the state level over the weekend.

Won 22 of 25 delegates

In Nevada, where Romney won a landslide victory in the Feb. 4 caucuses, Paul's backers took control of the state convention and won 22 of the 25 national convention delegates up for selection. They also ousted Nevada's two Republican National Committee members and replaced them with Paul allies.

While state party rules require 20 of the Nevada's 28 delegates to cast votes for Romney - a result of the front-runner's February victory - the Paul loyalists will be able to vote as they wish on the platform and all other issues debated in Tampa.

Romney keeping quiet

Political analysts say the Paul victories are a sign of the short-term cost of Romney's large-state strategy in the nomination battle, which prompted him to skimp on labor-intensive, small-delegate caucus states.

What's more, some Republican activists say Romney is bending over backward not to antagonize Paul and his loyal libertarians, who he needs to beat Obama.

"I think he's being very careful because he knows how important the Ron Paul voters are - they obviously represent a very different dynamic," said Mike Dennehy, a former top aide to John McCain's 2008 campaign.